Parking assistants adapted for a vehicle that, on a display in preferably the center console of the vehicle, indicate the distance to an object such as a vehicle or an object in front of or behind the vehicle, are known and have been disclosed in various forms.
For example, DE 103 52 506 A1 describes a process for displaying the distance of a vehicle to an object in front of or behind a vehicle while parking. Both the vehicle and the object are shown to scale in a top view on a display, thus enabling the driver of the vehicle to estimate the distance to the object in relation to the dimensions of the vehicle. A defined border area around the object is highlighted in color.
If during parking the driver becomes aware of an object in the space around the vehicle, he or she generally looks at the object as it approaches, but the driver is unable to precisely see that part of the object, which would collide with the vehicle if he or she were to approach it further. In order to be able to estimate the distance to an invisible portion of the object that is not within the field of view, the driver must look at the display and is unable, during that time, to directly monitor the environment of the vehicle.